Chain and Her Contractor
by cloudy eve
Summary: 11 moments in the life of a Chain and her Contractor. Oz x Alice. Number 3: Choice. There was Jack, and there was Oz. A gentle smile and an insecure frown. Alice ran to one of them.
1. 11 Moments

Chain and Her Contractor

—Oz x Alice—

It's my first ever Pandora Hearts fanfic… I hope it's good, so enjoy!

_11 moments of the life of a Chain and her Contractor._

—Acceptance

"Whether you're the real Oz or not, you're still 'Oz' to me! Stupid manservant!"

She had accepted him for who he is and that's one of the reasons he loved her very much.

—Noticing

The world seemed to be more colorful every time Alice was with him.

—Choice

The two looked alike. She looked at the taller, more mature looking one. His long blonde hair was braided and he had a hopeful light in his emerald eyes. The younger one, with shorter golden hair and similar emerald eyes, but hope was not reflected in them. There was disappointment, dejection… it's almost as if he was sure that she would pick the other.

"I'm sorry. It is the Will of the Abyss that had been waiting for you, Jack. Not me."

—Sun and Moon

If Alice was the sun that shines brightly, honestly, then he was the moon, who needed her light to glow in the darkness of the night sky.

—Sweet

Sharon loved seeing Oz and Alice together. In one of her 'girly moments' as Break would put it, she'd be busy teaching Alice all sorts of romantic things. From jealousy to kissing to relationships, she'll be a good teacher to cute and innocent Alice. She hoped that Alice would use the knowledge to win Oz's heart.

But when she passed by the fireplace and found Oz and Alice sharing a blanket and cuddling while sleeping, Sharon couldn't help but feel just a little bit of proudness. She liked to think that this happened because of her lessons too.

—Future

"_When everything has ended, you and I…"_

She had never really thought about the continuity of the sentence. When it crossed her mind in one of her idle moments, she wondered about it.

Would they be together, forever?

Live happily ever after, like in Sharon's romance fairy tale books?

Or, in a worst case scenario, trapped forever in the abyss when Oz's clocklike seal has stroke twelve?

But just one sentence from Oz ended her thoughts.

"Why do you think so hard about it? Whatever happens, we'll still have a bond, right? We'll still be together."

—Flirting and flirting

Alice noticed this every time she went to buy meat with Oz and sometimes, the Seaweed Head.

Whenever they come across a girl that seemed younger than her manservant, he would flirt with the random passerby girl, and sometimes, pulled out a red rose out of nowhere. It annoyed her so much that she actually felt jealous.

So, to find the solution why, she asked Sharon, the 'Master of Love' as the girl liked to be called.

"It's weird! Whenever my manservant sees girls, he just goes up to them and… what was it again? Right, flirted with them!" then, Alice added, in a voice barely above a whisper, "He never does it to me…"

"Alice, don't you know?" Sharon replied, sparkles in her eyes and around her, "He never does it to you because he's serious with you! You see, men are never serious when they flirt with girls—they're serious with girls they don't flirt with!"

It kind of eased Alice's worry, but she just couldn't help having an urge to beat up Oz whenever he does it.

—Fever

"I never knew Chains could get sick," Gilbert commented, when he had felt Alice's burning forehead.

"Shut up, Seaweed Head."

After that, Alice thought that being sick wasn't so bad, especially if it meant that her manservant was with her the whole time.

—What you mean to me

"_My most precious Alice…"_

When Oz said that, it had been a lie.

Alice wasn't just precious to him, she's irreplaceable.

—Destiny

He had taken the pocket watch and its music has reached her.

She had sought for the light, and he was her guide to it.

"Why were you the one who picked up the pocket watch?" _Why did I listen to its call?_

"It's because the chain of fate connects us." _Because it's our destiny._

—First and last

Alice was his first kiss.

Sure, it was because he had to form a contract with her and drink her blood, but that moment qualified as a kiss.

She's also his first love.

He knew that it was clichéd, but he acknowledged that he loves Alice when she was almost gone. Feelings that he thought as friendship, a relationship of a Contractor and his Chain had grown to love.

Oz would make sure that she'll be his last love too.

Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think; I might make another fic like this if many people like it. Theme suggestions are always accepted if there's any!


	2. 1: acceptance

Chain and Her Contractor

~1~

Acceptance

A/N: It's really short… sorry if you're not satisfied. Nevertheless, enjoy this piece of writing!

It was nearing two weeks since the day Oz had decided to lock himself inside his room. He didn't bother going out to eat, since he knew that Gil would be so worried and he's leave some food outside his door. Break and Sharon were busying themselves, both having no comments about the incident that caused Oz to be so downhearted. Uncle Oscar was very mad and he shouted at Oz's 'father' with fury, but the blonde boy didn't care. He felt numb, to be honest. He knew that his 'father' despised him, regarded him as even lower than trash.

"_You're no child of mine, you worthless trash. Did you really think a man would despise his own child?"_

But to be told that outright? Alice wanted to slice Zai's head off and Gil had even offered to shoot him for real. Yet he stopped them. He didn't know why. Isn't it better if Zai Vessalius, the man who hated him, stay dead? Zai wasn't even his father, so why should he care?

Then Oz's thoughts promptly shifted to something else. His existence. He wasn't really 'Oz'. The name should have been given to the Zai's real child, whoever he is.

So what was the intention of his birth then? To be Jack's vessel, so people could all see through him and only look at the hero residing in his mind? That's why he looked creepily similar to Jack when he was young, so he could be his vessel and people would believe that immediately. He was just a tool.

_Worthless._

_Trash._

Those words swam in his head as Oz laid in his bed, feeling numb all over. There were no tears spilling out of his emerald eyes. They had been wasted a long time ago.

* * *

Alice couldn't take it anymore. Her stupid manservant didn't even come to see her once during the past week and soon it'll be two weeks! He didn't bother coming out with her and Seaweed Head to buy meat. He didn't come out to greet her, not even once! What a useless manservant, moping around and ignoring his master.

…Truthfully, she missed him. She missed his smile, his voice, his vivid leaf colored eyes, his warmth, his presence, she missed everything about Oz! It felt wrong to pass a day without looking at his bright smile. A day wasn't complete without listening to his warm, affectionate voice calling out her name. Something was missing when her amethyst eyes didn't meet his emerald. As much as it made her want to gag, Oz is a piece of her life—and her soul too, maybe. And he was a huge piece.

She had to do something to cheer him up. Biting his cheek won't work, his condition wasn't something that could be healed with a simple bite on the cheek.

* * *

Oz heard banging on the door to his room. Then he heard shouting. It was inevitable, he knew that. He'd have to open the door sometime after all… but now he just wished to be alone. Sulking, he guessed that it's the right word to describe what he's doing.

Oz tried to drown the voice calling out to him, to no avail. The shouting stopped suddenly, and he blinked.

Then the door burst open. Oz widened his eyes when examining the door. The hinges were half broken and the wooden door was creaking as it threatened to fall down.

"A-Alice! You're not supposed to destroy that door! It's not even ours!"

"Oh, shut up! You're my manservant, just fix it later!" Alice snapped in reply, before she inched forward menacingly at Oz, glaring at him all the way until she was sitting in front of him.

Oz knew that he was in grave danger. His Chain was furious and he didn't know how to calm her down. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest and her violet eyes glared daggers at him. The blonde boy gulped and scooted back.

"Listen here, manservant—"

"Please don't hurt me." It came out as a squeak. What did he do wrong to Alice this time?

"I'm your master, I'm sure you know that."

He nodded. _I wonder what she's going to do…_

"So, as a good master, I need to know my manservant's problems! So, Oz," he was surprised that Alice called him that, especially when she was angry, "tell me everything!"

Oz looked up into Alice's eyes and saw a flicker of smugness in them, like when she bit his cheeks. He held back a little laugh. No matter how depressed he was, Alice's antics always managed to find a way to amuse him.

"Fine, fine." So he told her everything. From the meeting with his father, to the 'shocking revelation'—Oz's eyes had glazed over a little telling that part—and finally the reason why he locked himself up the past days. Alice stayed uncharacteristically quiet the whole time, nodding every now and then to show that she listened intently. When he was done, Alice spoke up.

"That's all?"

Oz nodded.

"So you're not really Oz. Why should it matter to me? In my opinion," Alice stood up and pointed to herself with her thumb, and continued, "you're still Oz. No matter what, there's only one Oz Vessalius and it's you." Right here she pointed to him. "And why are you sulking over the meaning of your existence? Obviously it's to become my Contractor! Well, that, and my manservant too."

The brown haired girl grinned proudly as she crossed her arms, once again. Then she jumped off the bed and walked over to the half broken door, turning to Oz when he didn't follow her.

"Come on, let's go to the market and buy me meat! All those listening made me hungry! Besides, you still have to pay off the time you spent sulking and not going with Seaweed Head and I to buy meat!" Alice quickly turned around, but in a split second, Oz caught her murmur something under her breath that he couldn't catch.

"Yes, Alice, I'll be right there. Let's go buy you meat."

When the Chain heard footsteps chasing after her, she suppressed a tiny smile.

—_finally I got to see his smile again._

It's sort of weird, I know… but I want to finish this quickly. The whole point of 'acceptance' wasn't really there, but oh well. I do hope that you like this, and tell me which theme you'd like for me to write next in your review! Thanks for reading!


	3. 2: flirting and flirting

—First of all, THANKS SO MUCH FOR ANYONE WHO REVIEWED! Especially the latest ones, it makes me feel _so_ happy to know that there are still people reading this. I promise I'll write all your names in the next chapter!

And I decided to just have you, my readers, to give me prompts to work on. Each prompt will have a 600-ish words drabble, so I'll make 2 or 3 in each chapter.

Again, thanks a bunch and enjoy!

Chain and Her Contractor  
2: Flirting and flirting

"Excuse me?"

_Twitch._

"I think you have something in your eye," a close look, then a winning smile. "Nope, it's just a sparkle."

_Twitch._

The girl, a redhead with porcelain-like skin and wearing a simple beige dress, blushed. Alice clenched and unclenched her fists, grinding her teeth. _What is he doing, that stupid manservant?_

"Hey, stupid rabbit, call Oz and we'll be ready to go." Gilbert held up a bag full of meat (courtesy of Alice) and called out. The Chain, in her foul mood, glared daggers at him and stomped away angrily, but not before hitting Gilbert (because she didn't really want to hurt Oz, for some strange reason she didn't quite understand).

"I'd rather be beheaded than denied a date with you." Oz spoke with a charming smile, teeth glinting in the sunlight, a red rose offered to the awkward-looking blonde fidgeting before him. He was kneeling and his free hand was placed over his chest. All of it done in a public place.

Alice seethed and forced herself not to strangle the girl. Stupid, stupid Oz, who kept on (_what was it again?_) flirting with stupid random girls, making her feel _jealous_ and oh it'd be so nice if Seaweed Head would just let her use her full power and—

"It's time to go." Gilbert called out to Oz, who gave a very-much-gentlemanly bow to the girl and skipped over to them.

Alice huffily crossed her arms and gave a pout, puffing out her cheeks and ignored Oz the whole way back.

Sharon found the chain muttering to herself while stuffing her mouth with meat (that could easily last them through a week), still acting jealous and possessive, and something in her heart went _thump_ and sparkles could have appeared in her eyes as the Rainsworth girl approached the chain.

"Alice, you look very bothered—you do know that you can tell me anything, correct?" she smiled, sitting across Alice.

"None of your business—" Alice replied, and then remembered her last encounter with Sharon and quickly corrected herself. "Oz. It's Oz. He kept on talking to random girls and it's just so…"

"But he does it all the time, why is it that you seem to care now?" _Please say it's because you realized your deep love for him, that you want him to be only yours and…_ She felt giddy just thinking about it. Sharon wanted to squeal, even more so when Alice looked a little shy—_oh, is she blushing?—_and stopped eating and fiddled with her fingers.

"It's just that…" Alice frowned, and said with a finality, "he… he never does it to me! Yeah!"

_Close enough_, Sharon disappointedly thought,_ but it's fine for now, they have plenty of time after all…_ "Well then, I suppose I can talk to him. Let him know that you want to feel special too."

"Oh. Uh… thanks. I guess."

"It's not a problem, not at all."

"May I have a minute with you?" Sharon smiled to Oz. "Oz, you realize that every girl wants to feel… appreciated, right?" She gave a special emphasis to 'every' and pointedly gestured to where Gilbert and Alice were standing, bickering about something they couldn't hear.

"Of course!"

"Every girl, Oz, no matter if she is a normal girl or a chain."

"Yep~ I know!"

"Good. And, some girls really love it if you give your sole attention to them."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Sharon, satisfied, bid good-bye to the Vessalius young man and went on her way. She was pretty sure she'd dropped enough hints and mentally praised herself for her wonderful matchmaking abilities.

It's really too bad that Oz didn't seem to get the hint and only succeeded in flirting even more. The only thing he succeeded in doing was riling up Alice even more.

They were drunk again that night.

Well, Uncle Oscar dropped by with 'juice' and Gilbert was reduced to a sniffling mess and Sharon acted all queenly again and Alice—

"Oz… why d'you always flirt with other…" she slurred, eyes half-lidded and pink tainting her cheeks. Alice lay sprawled on the floor, Oz sitting next to her as he blinked at her sudden question.

"Alice, that's a silly question." He laughed, ruffling her hair. She leaned into his touch, loving the way his hand felt on her head.

"Feels good…" she mumbled, and promptly closed her eyes and dozed off drunkenly.

No one (well, except for an also-sober Break) noticed as Oz's eyes softened, replying to her previous question, finally understanding what Sharon told him.

"You've always been special, Alice… more than all of the other girls. Wouldn't it fit better if I treat you specially as well?"

**Extra: 'drop me a (real) kiss' (AKA what the OzAlice scene in Chapter 60 should have ended like)**

He appreciated the gesture, he really did.

But he was feeling frankly numb all over, too shocked that Elliot died, and he wanted to accept it like he did with everything else, and he was just staring up to the bright sky (_it should have rained_, the thought crossed his mind many times) when her (warm, comforting) back pressed to his so suddenly.

He felt better then, if only for a little bit.

She asked him, _what are you feeling right now_ and he just ended up spilling it to her (albeit in a very calm and monotonic voice) and it was like that time again, except now he was more irritated than grateful.

She bit his cheek again, and it hurt, and then she sandwiched him between her body and the window and bit his _ear_.

He was not amused.

It even bled.

(But he appreciated it all the same—it was too bad that the way she expressed her comfort wasn't exactly appropriate.)

It hurt, like everything else, and he suddenly had a very random urge to just—just end Alice's silly version of a kiss.

"That isn't how you kiss," he muttered, rather hurriedly and crossly, and ignored his bleeding ear as he grabbed her hands and turned so that their lips clashed.

(And he tasted blood—_his_ blood—but it was okay, because it made everything seemed more real and she didn't resist—even kissed back, proving that she did know how to kiss after all and everything felt kind of… _fine_, but only for a moment.)

—So, um yeah. Hopefully it wasn't too OOC? And I hope it's satisfying too, since I haven't written this for a long time. Hopefully I can write the next one quickly.


	4. 3: choice

A/N: I fail at updating. I'm too lazy sometimes, but this has to be done. This one's kinda short…

Many thanks to: Suki90, WolfspiritSD, eXtraNIo, DMK—and to everyone who reads/favorites/alerts!

Special thanks to: AmAnOTAKU11 for helping me provide some ideas for this!

Ideas/prompts/suggestions are always welcome, I'd like to know what readers think, after all.

Chain and Her Contractor_  
_3: Choice

Sometimes Alice dreamed of strange things.

Maybe because of stress, she thought. She, Oz and Gilbert were given many jobs lately with barely any time to rest. Missions after missions were issued from Pandora, and they had to leave as soon as they arrived—calling it tiring would be an understatement.

These days, they slept in the carriage. It was uncomfortable sleeping while sitting, so Alice would claim as much space as she could in her seat with Oz, and curled up with her head on Oz's lap.

In these little sleeping periods she dreamed.

In the Abyss Alice rarely ever dreamed. Her sleep was always filled with deep blackness, never the colorful splash of a dream. When she finally escaped, though, it was a different story.

The first time she dreamed, she had panicked.

"_Oz! I was sleeping, just sleeping, there," Alice pointed to the couch, a mix of excitement and worry in her expression, "and I saw stuff in my sleep!"_

_Her Contractor only laughed and ruffled her head the way she liked it (he had heard from Gil that Alice was acting funny after he petted her head, turned out that it was because she liked the gesture). "That's called dreaming, Alice. It's normal, so don't worry. What did you see?"_

"_Meat." She began to drool. "Lots of meat. There was this huuuge one, on a huuuge plate, a super tender pork meat that was so yummy."_

After that, she began to welcome the dreams, especially the ones involving meat. But as days passed by, they grew more bizarre. Lately, she'd been dreaming of things she mostly couldn't recall—but Alice remembered the warmth and comfort that it brought, and a flash of flaxen hair.

_Long_ flaxen hair.

Alice rested her head on Oz's lap, staring at Gilbert. The black-clad man stared back with a strange expression.

"What, Seaweed Head?" she sneered. "You wanna sleep on Oz's lap too?"

"Wh-what? What makes you think that, you stupid rabbit?"

She proceeded to ignore him. "Too bad, but this is mine!"

"Why you—!"

"Stop it, you two…" Oz sighed tiredly. Their latest mission involved yet another illegal contractor, but he was tougher than the others—or was it because they were too worn out?

"She started it." Gil sulkily mumbled. Alice stuck out her tongue before burying her face into Oz's shorts, quickly falling asleep.

This time, she dreamed of an elaborately decorated room with checkered floor and a round table covered by a frilly white tablecloth. All around her, dolls chattered and giggled. Alice smiled a smile that wasn't hers and spoke with a voice eerily similar to her own. A man with dark hair and clad in equally dark clothes—except for the bandages that covered one eye—purred as she stroked his hair.

"It's tea time~!" she sang, giggling. When she looked at herself, she wasn't wearing her usual white and red coat, or her black skirt. She wore a garment similar to that, but it was pure white and shining and with more laces and ribbons and flowers. Her feet were bare too, and she missed the warmth her boots offered.

"Tea time, tea time," the dolls chorused, and burst into a fit of giggles in unison.

"But… we're missing someone." Her voice turned melancholic all of a sudden. "We can't start if… if Jack doesn't come. Hey… he can't be dead, right? No, right? He promised me he'll take me outside, to pick roses…"

Jack. The name was not foreign to her. Alice remembered her hazy dreams of the man with the more mature Oz-like face. Did she dream of him because the Will of the Abyss wanted so badly to see him again, and her desire was channeled?

"Jack…" she heard herself say, and her eyes fluttered open.

Emerald eyes stared back. She broke eye contact with Oz and looked around—the familiar pastel-walled room greeted her. They were back at the Rainsworth mansion.

"What did you dream of, Alice…?" She heard Oz ask,

"Of… the Will of the Abyss, and her tea party. Like the one the Clown told us."

_But then why did you say Jack's name?_ He wanted to ask her, but held it in. Was he jealous? Of a _dead man_? It was absurd, but too true.

"She was still waiting for Jack." Alice continued, seemingly oblivious to his 'inner turmoil'. "It's kind of sad."

Oz was silent after she said that. The girl looked up, and saw that his eyes were hazy in a daydream.

So she hit him.

"Stupid manservant! Listen to me when I talk!"

That night, it was hard for Alice to sleep. She kept on tossing and turning on her warm, large bed but the comfortable darkness just wouldn't come. Frustrated, she slammed the large wooden doors open and marched to Oz's room.

Alice blinked as she peeked from the small gap of the door. Oz was quietly sleeping, the blanket pulled to cover his shoulders. His chest rose while he breathed, a peaceful expression etched on his face. He didn't look like he would wake up anytime soon. Grinning, Alice slipped in and snuggled against him under the covers, watching him closely.

Oz's warmth was comforting. It was proof that he was there, with her. Her thoughts briefly flitted to the Will of the Abyss, waiting for Jack forever, then to her, waiting for the contractor that was meant to help her escape. Then she met Oz.

It was painful, waiting for years and years. She imagined how her 'twin' felt, and groped for Oz's hand. If she had to wait for an unknown amount of time for Oz again, Alice didn't think she could ever stand it.

It was almost as if she was in the Abyss again.

It was all black and yet she could see, and the ground rippled and splashed like water when she walked.

And then there was a warm, inviting glow, and she followed it.

Someone was waiting for her.

Jack's gentle smiling face surprised her. He seemed at ease, just standing there in his green-golden coat, wordlessly extending a hand.

Behind him was Oz. He looked oddly insecure, without the goofy smile she'd grown so accustomed to. Unlike Jack, he didn't hold out a hand for her, and Alice felt a little hurt. He cared for her, right? So why didn't he welcome her?

It was… it was like he expected her to take Jack's hand.

"Alice…?" Jack spoke, earnestly gazing at her. But she found herself running to Oz.

"Oz," she stared at him, and his startled expression, and uncharacteristic worry filled her. "You okay?"

He nodded mutely. Alice turned around and smiled confidently to Jack. "Jack… sorry, but it's the Will of the Abyss that's waiting for you. Not me." Then she grabbed Oz's wrist and shook it. "And it's Oz that needs me."

At that, Oz cracked a smile.

Jack's expression didn't falter, but he did retract his hand.

"Oz…"

"Good morning, Alice."

"Mm…" she groggily rubbed her eyes with her free hand. Alice vaguely noticed that her other hand was still clutching Oz's.

"Did you have another dream?" The blond wore a sunny smile when he asked.

Alice nodded vigorously. "Yeah, I did. And it was the weirdest thing too."

"Hm, you can tell me about it over breakfast."

Oz got out of the bed and stretched, and when she didn't budge even after he was at the door, he looked back.

"Alice? Are you coming?"

"Hey, Oz… you know that I'll stick with you, no matter what, right?"

The bright smile slipped, and his eyes widened slightly. But then a wide grin replaced the smile.

"Of course!"


End file.
